Every year, the long and cold winter arrives. With it comes blue moods and even drearier outdoor conditions. The latter can have a compounding effect on the former; when our natural surroundings appear to be dim and dead, it affects our happiness and energy levels. Because of this, ensuring that the lawn is in prime condition for the winter months is ideal. Whether you want to spruce up its look or prepare more vulnerable plants and trees for the cold months ahead, there are ways to begin acting today. We’ll discuss below a few tips on how to winter-proof your outdoor areas for the months ahead.
Add Year-round Lawn Elements
It should go without saying, but the best way in which to ensure your lawn and other outdoor areas survive the winter is to ensure the elements of the lawn are ready for any challenge. Whether you’re planting a hardy type of grass seed or installing artificial grass from a vendor like Grono, ensuring that there is colour on a year-round basis can help alleviate at least some of the dreary feelings of winter.
In addition to the ideal lawn covering, the selection of proper plants and trees is another important consideration. Hardier evergreen plants can be great additions to lawns in colder climates, as they refuse to die back each year and will retain their colour in the most difficult months in terms of temperature.
Apply Leaves and Mulch
Let’s face it: you’re probably not going to completely overhaul your lawn and outdoor areas until there is nothing left that cannot weather the winter gracefully. Freezing temperatures, icy precipitation and windy days all pose risks to certain types of foliage and agriculture.
Because of this, the use of leaves is a must for winter-proofing any lawn or outdoor area. In nature, leaves serve an important purpose during the winter: they fall to the ground and create a protective shield for bugs, seeds and saplings. The natural decay of the leaves combined with the insulating effect allow substantial heat to incubate anything under them.
The same applies to mulch, which adds vital nutrients to the soil and surrounding area as it begins to decompose even further. Truly the gift that keeps on giving, mulch will continue to nourish your outdoor areas long after the winter has ended.
Insulate Select Outdoor Areas
You may have several outdoor areas that serve important purposes throughout other parts of the year. Patios, decks, and swimming pools/spas can all be excellent retreats during the worst of winter – but only if they’re properly insulated from the onslaught of cold weather. If you are planning on having a new deck built before the full winter effects kick in, then you probably want to search for ‘deck builders near me‘, for example, to see who you can get to your home asap, so you can have your dream deck built for the wintertime.
Screened-in areas alongside the home can easily be retrofitted with transparent insulation in the form of plastic wrap or comparable sheeting. Areas such as swimming pools that may not be possible to enclose but that nevertheless need protection during these months should be covered and treated with appropriate chemicals if the water is not to be drained from them. Backyard and front yard decks can be easily added onto in ways that allow for winterised protection in one form of another.